Many pinup pageants place an emphasis on poses as part of your routine on stage. This can seem a little daunting especially if you are new to the pinup pageant world so I hope today to share a few of my favourite poses, some tips and ideas to have you posing like a pro before your pageant comes up.

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Your posing may be dependant on a few factors; your pageant theme, your time limit, the number of poses you are expected to do, your props and your bodies limits. Work within a zone you feel comfortable especially if you have health issue and have fun with your routine. Poses should be part of your routine planning and can be something that can grab you extra points. When it comes to poses, I would definitely recommend holding the pose for a few seconds (possibly 5 seconds) so the judges know this is a pose and not just another part of your routine. Whenever I have judged a pageant and poses were something to award the pinups points for, the girls who held their poses on stage generally scored higher than those that didn’t. For the girls that didn’t hold their poses, it was hard to tell what they considered a pose or not.

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Personally, this is the part of the routine I struggle with the most. I find that holding a pose and keeping still on stage really uncomfortable and jarring. I’m a trained dancer so when I’m on stage I move, being told to stop feels so strange to me and I know I’ve lost points here and there because I haven’t held my poses for long enough. If you are like me and find holding still breaks up your routine, commit to your pose but perhaps look at the audience, pull a different facial expression, or do a slight movement such as a shrug of the shoulders or a wink.

Whilst posing, remember to create strong lines with your body paying special attention to your arms and legs. Your pose should be strong so therefore so should arms and legs. Traditional pinups really stretched and shaped their bodies to be flattering, emphasise their curves and make themselves look alluring. By pointing your toes and stretching your fingers, you will make a huge difference to your pose and hopefully scoop up a few extra points.

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Part of your pose should include your facial expression. A smile is always the way to go if you don’t feel comfortable pulling faces on stage or have a fear of the photographer snapping you between expressions (oh yeah, I have some doozies). If you do feel comfortable, use your face and it’s expressions to continue telling your story onstage. If you are doing a grumpy pose, look grumpy. If you are shocked at something, look shocked. This is all part of the one pose and will help you sell the story to the audience and judges.

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If you are going to bring a prop on stage, use it as part of your poses. It’s pointless to have a prop that you just carry around or leave on the stage and don’t interact with. Have fun with your pose and make sure your audience has time to really see what it is before you use it so they don’t have to wonder what it is.

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When planning a pose, a great place to start is by looking at old pinup photographs of vintage ladies especially Varga girls. Their poses were always really beautiful, strong and emphasised their features. Even just by doing a simple google search of Varga girls, you will be flooded with ideas that you can use during your routine. Of course, it all depends on the story you want to tell on stage. I prefer to come up with a routine story and then find a way to work my poses into it. You don’t have to do anything fancy or crazy as part of your routine and even using your prop or showing it off can count as a pose.

I’d really recommend coming up with a strong entry pose. This is a great way to allow the judges and audience to have a good look at you before you start your routine and they can take a few seconds to look at your hair, makeup and outfit. Whilst judging, I’ve seen some girls zoom into their routine and went through it so quick I struggled to look at their outfit details such as complimentary accessories or a certain style of top. In saying that, remember to slow down your routine. Yes I know it may feel like you are on stage for hours but if you only get a minute on stage, use up that minute and make sure you pose your little heart out because it can really help your scoring.

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If you do get stuck for poses as part of your routine or you only want to do some simple poses without too much of a story line try the following:
-Hands on hips, legs together with one slightly bent at the knee and toes pointed
—you can then alternate by having one hand on your hips, and one in the air, or behind your head
-Lay on the floor on your back and kick your legs into the air
—alternate this pose by pushing your hips into the air, straightening one leg up high and the other slightly bent
-Whilst standing on an angle, point one leg out and run your hands slowly up your leg and thigh
-Stand with your back to the audience and look over your shoulder with your hands on your hips or near your chest
-If you are kneeling and sitting on your feet, put your arms behind your head or stretch your arms placing your hands on your knees

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This post is part of a Pinup Pageant Guide mini-series. Feel free to find more posts from this series here:
-Writing a Pinup Bio
-Sending in Pinup Pageant Applications
–How to Plan a Routine
-Planning your Pageant Outfits
-Planning your Pageant Hair and Makeup
-Using Props on Stage
-Posing on Stage
-What to do on Stage – COMING SOON
-What to Pack for Pinup Pageant Day – COMING SOON
-Pageant Etiquette – COMING SOON

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.